Dave Justus
Mr. Justus has a proven track record of over 20 years successfully growing venture capital and private equity backed businesses, leading business transformations, building market leading companies, and achieving successful exits.
As the father to a son with autism and Fragile X Syndrome, Mr. Justus is passionate about advancing science for genetically defined neurocognitive disorders. Mr. Justus and Dr. Gargus have collaborated for over a decade on initiatives aimed at assisting individuals affected by neurological disorders through Mr. Justus' non-profit organization. This shared vision and passion ultimately paved the way for the establishment of NueroQure.
Before founding NeuroQure, he led the transformation of Tebra, the market leading all-in-one healthcare practice success platform serving over 100,000 providers and aiding 90 million patients in the US. Throughout his tenure, he led initiatives to raise over $150 million in capital, divest non-strategic business units, complete strategic acquisitions, and triple the annual recurring revenues to over $200 million. These endeavors not only transformed the business into a dominant market leader but helped to significantly increase its valuation to over $1 billion.
Preceding Tebra, he was instrumental in transforming Avetta into the market leading SaaS supply chain risk management provider, serving over 125,000 suppliers providing services on supply chains of Fortune 500 companies in over 120 countries across the world. During his time there, he led initiatives that generated a 27% CAGR of revenues and increased EBITDA margins from 0% to 30%. These achievements helped to significantly increase the company valuation by over 500%, before the company’s acquisition by an international private equity firm.
Prior to these roles, he held various C level and executive positions at Appriss, Qualcomm, SkyDesk, and Andersen.
Dr. John J. Gargus, MD, PhD
Dr. Gargus is a highly respected and world renown geneticist who has dedicated his career to advancing scientific research on neurological disorders.
He most recently served as the Director of UC Irvine’s Center for Autism Research and Translation (CART) where he led a group of 60 UCI faculty working together on a platform for drug discovery in neurodevelopmental disorders within the Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. He is PI of two industry-sponsored first-in-human clinical trials for novel molecular therapeutics targeted to genetic diseases of intracellular organelles and was sole USA PI on the pivotal CL-03 Synageva/Alexion clinical trial for Kanuma. He holds 3 patents on novel genetic disease diagnostics and has received major awards from the American Heart Association and the National Headache Foundation for his work.
He received his MD-PhD in Human Genetics from Yale University School of Medicine, carried out a Residency in Pediatrics and a Fellowship in Medical Genetics, also at Yale, and is an ABMG certified medical geneticist. Early in his career he played a leading role introducing molecular genetics into the analysis of physiological processes through symposia he organized and invited reviews. He has received research support for his work from the NIH, Autism Speaks, Doris Duke Foundation and The Thompson Family Foundation.
He joined the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine in 1992 following prior appointments at Emory and Yale. He is Professor of Human Genetics, Pediatrics and Physiology & Biophysics. His clinical subspecialty is inborn errors of metabolism, bioenergetics, and membrane function in the diagnosis of complex neurodevelopmental syndromes. His major research thrust is molecular pathophysiology of the common complex polygenic disease’s migraine and autism, early recognizing the role of channelopathy pathogenesis in common neuropsychiatric diseases. This work provided the foundations for CART for which he led the effort to bring 28 million dollars in philanthropic support.
He has been an invited speaker at several national autism meetings and has been organizer and chair of two large early international society symposia, one of biophysicists and one of geneticists, focusing on cell signaling defects in autism. He additionally serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Channelopathy Foundation headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland and several national review groups including prior membership on NIH, ACS, AHA, and Autism Speaks review panels and Chair of several Congressionally Directed Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program panels.
Dr. Uta Francke
Dr. Uta Francke is professor of Genetics Emerita and Professor of Pediatrics - Medical Genetics at Stanford University. Her research has ranged from human and mouse chromosome identification and gene mapping to the discovery of genes involved in heritable disorders, studies of their functions and of disease-causing mechanisms. Applying genomic technologies to mammalian genetics research, her laboratory developed mouse models for human microdeletions, such as Prader-Willi and Williams-Beuren syndrome.
Dr. Francke holds an M.D. from the University of Munich, Germany. She is board-certified in Pediatrics, and in Clinical and Molecular Genetics and Cytogenetics. She has been an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the recipient of the Antoine Marfan Award from the National Marfan Foundation, the Colonel Harland Sanders Lifetime Achievement Award in Genetics from the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, and the William Allan Award from the American Society of Human Genetics.
In 2014, she received the Association for Molecular Pathology Award for Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics. She has been elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, the American Association for Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is a past-president of the American Society for Human Genetics and of the International Federation of Human Genetics Societies, and a founding member of the American College of Medical Genetics.
Dr. Francke teaches medical and molecular genetics and sees patients in the Multidisciplinary Cardiovascular Connective Tissue Disorders Clinic at Stanford.
Dr. Francke has served as a consultant to 23andMe.Inc since 2007, and as a part-time employee from 2010-2013. In her role as Senior Medical Director, she was involved in the preparation of health reports and in various research projects, foremost the study of consumer responses to receiving BRCA mutation results.
Dr. Pauline A. Filipek
Pauline A. Filipek MD is Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Child & Adolescent Neurology at McGovern Medical School/UTHealth in Houston. Her clinical and research passions have focused for many years on the identification of the earliest signs of autism spectrum and other developmental disorders [ASD/DDs], initiating the earliest intensive interventions, and educating all disciplines on these topics. She lectures extensively to students, trainees and professionals in all related disciplines.
Dr. Filipek received her MD from Georgetown University School of Medicine followed by a pediatric residency at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and child neurology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard Medical School. She chaired the American Academy of Neurology/ Child Neurology Society Committee to create Practice Parameters for Screening and Diagnosis of Autism, the first such published guideline. She also served on the National Research Council Committee that authored Educational Interventions for Children with Autism.
Her most recent activities center on increasing developmental and autism screening practices for marginalized child populations in Texas. Since 2011, she has served as the Director of the LoneStar LEND Training Program [Leadership Education in autism and related Neurodevelopmental Disorders], the first LEND in Texas, which focuses on training future generations of Maternal-Child Health professionals to recognize ASD/DDs in individuals of all ages, and to advocate for appropriate interventions and services.
Albert "Bert" Zimmerli
Mr. Zimmerli recently retired after 20 years as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Intermountain Health, a fully integrated $14+ billion health system based in Salt Lake City, Utah. During his tenure, Intermountain’s revenue and net assets grew approximately 500% and 830%, respectively, and achieved & maintained the highest financial ratings in healthcare (AA + from S&P and Aa1 from Moody’s). He was responsible for the direction and oversight of all Intermountain financial operations, as well as Intermountain’ s revenue cycle, supply chain, and venture development and innovation strategies.
He continues to serve on the Boards of SelectHealth and the Intermountain Foundation, and chairs the boards of Intermountain Health Ventures, LLC and Culmination Bio, Inc. Prior to joining Intermountain, Mr. Zimmerli was the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Houston Methodist. Prior to that, he served in numerous capacities with Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston, including senior vice president and chief financial officer. He also was a partner in Ernst & Young’s Houston office, where he spent 16 years, specializing in healthcare. Mr. Zimmerli served on the board of R1 RCM, a publicly traded company, for approximately 5 years and currently serves on the boards of several privately held companies. He also has served, and in some cases continues to serve, in various capacities for several private equity funds and/or their portfolio companies. He is a Certified Public Accountant and received the Elijah Watts Sells Award for achieving the second highest score in the United States when he passed the CPA Exam.
Mr. Zimmerli is a member of the executive leadership team and one of four owners of Goldstream, a private company which owns, develops, and operates retirement living centers predominantly located in the Intermountain West.
Dan Dearen
Mr. Dearen was most recently the President and Chief Financial Officer of Axonics Modulation Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: AXNX), a publicly traded medical technology company that manufactures and markets implantable devices to treat overactive bladder and stress urinary incontinence, with sales in 2020 of over $111 million. Mr. Dearen is co-founder of Axonics and has served in his current role for over seven years, during which time the company developed, obtained FDA approval and launched its sacral neuromodulation system to treat OAB, acquired Bulkamid to treat SUI, and raised $138 million in its 2018 IPO plus $267 million through two subsequent equity offerings.
Before co-founding Axonics, Mr. Dearen was Chief Operating and Financial Officer of Vessix Vascular, a medical device company treating hypertension that was acquired by Boston Scientific in 2012 for $425 million. Previously, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Miraval Holding, Q3DM (acquired by Beckman Coulter), Medication Delivery Devices (acquired by Baxter Healthcare) and was a Principal at Ventana Growth Funds, an international venture capital firm with a portfolio of 53 companies in medical devices, life sciences and healthcare. Mr. Dearen started his career as a CPA (inactive) in the healthcare group at Ernst & Young in Dallas, Texas. He holds a B.B.A. in Accounting & Business from Southern Methodist University and an M.B.A. from Boston College and completed the Accredited Public Company Director Certification program at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
Mr. Dearen has over 20 years of experience in medical devices and pharmaceutical industries. Previously Chief Operating and Financial Officer at Vessix Vascular, Mr. Dearen was responsible for integration following the acquisition of Vessix by Boston Scientific. Prior to that, Mr. Dearen was CFO of several life science and venture capital firms including Miraval Holding, Q3DM, Fairbanks Systems Group, ESI Software, Medication Delivery Devices, and positions with Ventana Growth Funds.
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Dave Justus
Mr. Justus has a proven track record of over 20 years successfully growing venture capital and private equity backed businesses, leading business transformations, building market leading companies, and achieving successful exits.
As the father to a son with autism and Fragile X Syndrome, Mr. Justus is passionate about advancing science for genetically defined neurocognitive disorders. Mr. Justus and Dr. Gargus have collaborated for over a decade on initiatives aimed at assisting individuals affected by neurological disorders through Mr. Justus' non-profit organization. This shared vision and passion ultimately paved the way for the establishment of NueroQure.
Before founding NeuroQure, he led the transformation of Tebra, the market leading all-in-one healthcare practice success platform serving over 100,000 providers and aiding 90 million patients in the US. Throughout his tenure, he led initiatives to raise over $150 million in capital, divest non-strategic business units, complete strategic acquisitions, and triple the annual recurring revenues to over $200 million. These endeavors not only transformed the business into a dominant market leader but helped to significantly increase its valuation to over $1 billion.
Preceding Tebra, he was instrumental in transforming Avetta into the market leading SaaS supply chain risk management provider, serving over 125,000 suppliers providing services on supply chains of Fortune 500 companies in over 120 countries across the world. During his time there, he led initiatives that generated a 27% CAGR of revenues and increased EBITDA margins from 0% to 30%. These achievements helped to significantly increase the company valuation by over 500%, before the company’s acquisition by an international private equity firm.
Prior to these roles, he held various C level and executive positions at Appriss, Qualcomm, SkyDesk, and Andersen.
Founding Scientist & Chief Science Officer
Dr. John J. Gargus, MD, PhD
Dr. Gargus is a highly respected and world renown geneticist who has dedicated his career to advancing scientific research on neurological disorders.
He most recently served as the Director of UC Irvine’s Center for Autism Research and Translation (CART) where he led a group of 60 UCI faculty working together on a platform for drug discovery in neurodevelopmental disorders within the Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. He is PI of two industry-sponsored first-in-human clinical trials for novel molecular therapeutics targeted to genetic diseases of intracellular organelles and was sole USA PI on the pivotal CL-03 Synageva/Alexion clinical trial for Kanuma. He holds 3 patents on novel genetic disease diagnostics and has received major awards from the American Heart Association and the National Headache Foundation for his work.
He received his MD-PhD in Human Genetics from Yale University School of Medicine, carried out a Residency in Pediatrics and a Fellowship in Medical Genetics, also at Yale, and is an ABMG certified medical geneticist. Early in his career he played a leading role introducing molecular genetics into the analysis of physiological processes through symposia he organized and invited reviews. He has received research support for his work from the NIH, Autism Speaks, Doris Duke Foundation and The Thompson Family Foundation.
He joined the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine in 1992 following prior appointments at Emory and Yale. He is Professor of Human Genetics, Pediatrics and Physiology & Biophysics. His clinical subspecialty is inborn errors of metabolism, bioenergetics, and membrane function in the diagnosis of complex neurodevelopmental syndromes. His major research thrust is molecular pathophysiology of the common complex polygenic disease’s migraine and autism, early recognizing the role of channelopathy pathogenesis in common neuropsychiatric diseases. This work provided the foundations for CART for which he led the effort to bring 28 million dollars in philanthropic support.
He has been an invited speaker at several national autism meetings and has been organizer and chair of two large early international society symposia, one of biophysicists and one of geneticists, focusing on cell signaling defects in autism. He additionally serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Channelopathy Foundation headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland and several national review groups including prior membership on NIH, ACS, AHA, and Autism Speaks review panels and Chair of several Congressionally Directed Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program panels.
Neurogenetics Expert
Dr. Ute Francke
Dr. Uta Francke is professor of Genetics Emerita and Professor of Pediatrics - Medical Genetics at Stanford University. Her research has ranged from human and mouse chromosome identification and gene mapping to the discovery of genes involved in heritable disorders, studies of their functions and of disease-causing mechanisms. Applying genomic technologies to mammalian genetics research, her laboratory developed mouse models for human microdeletions, such as Prader-Willi and Williams-Beuren syndrome.
Dr. Francke holds an M.D. from the University of Munich, Germany. She is board-certified in Pediatrics, and in Clinical and Molecular Genetics and Cytogenetics. She has been an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the recipient of the Antoine Marfan Award from the National Marfan Foundation, the Colonel Harland Sanders Lifetime Achievement Award in Genetics from the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, and the William Allan Award from the American Society of Human Genetics.
In 2014, she received the Association for Molecular Pathology Award for Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics. She has been elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, the American Association for Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is a past-president of the American Society for Human Genetics and of the International Federation of Human Genetics Societies, and a founding member of the American College of Medical Genetics.
Dr. Francke teaches medical and molecular genetics and sees patients in the Multidisciplinary Cardiovascular Connective Tissue Disorders Clinic at Stanford.
Dr. Francke has served as a consultant to 23andMe.Inc since 2007, and as a part-time employee from 2010-2013. In her role as Senior Medical Director, she was involved in the preparation of health reports and in various research projects, foremost the study of consumer responses to receiving BRCA mutation results.
Autism Expert
Dr. Pauline A Filipek
Pauline A. Filipek MD is Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Child & Adolescent Neurology at McGovern Medical School/UTHealth in Houston. Her clinical and research passions have focused for many years on the identification of the earliest signs of autism spectrum and other developmental disorders [ASD/DDs], initiating the earliest intensive interventions, and educating all disciplines on these topics. She lectures extensively to students, trainees and professionals in all related disciplines.
Dr. Filipek received her MD from Georgetown University School of Medicine followed by a pediatric residency at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and child neurology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard Medical School. She chaired the American Academy of Neurology/ Child Neurology Society Committee to create Practice Parameters for Screening and Diagnosis of Autism, the first such published guideline. She also served on the National Research Council Committee that authored Educational Interventions for Children with Autism.
Her most recent activities center on increasing developmental and autism screening practices for marginalized child populations in Texas. Since 2011, she has served as the Director of the LoneStar LEND Training Program [Leadership Education in autism and related Neurodevelopmental Disorders], the first LEND in Texas, which focuses on training future generations of Maternal-Child Health professionals to recognize ASD/DDs in individuals of all ages, and to advocate for appropriate interventions and services.
Industry Expert
Bert Zimmerly
Mr. Zimmerli recently retired after 20 years as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Intermountain Health, a fully integrated $14+ billion health system based in Salt Lake City, Utah. During his tenure, Intermountain’s revenue and net assets grew approximately 500% and 830%, respectively, and achieved & maintained the highest financial ratings in healthcare (AA + from S&P and Aa1 from Moody’s). He was responsible for the direction and oversight of all Intermountain financial operations, as well as Intermountain’ s revenue cycle, supply chain, and venture development and innovation strategies.
He continues to serve on the Boards of SelectHealth and the Intermountain Foundation, and chairs the boards of Intermountain Health Ventures, LLC and Culmination Bio, Inc. Prior to joining Intermountain, Mr. Zimmerli was the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Houston Methodist. Prior to that, he served in numerous capacities with Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston, including senior vice president and chief financial officer. He also was a partner in Ernst & Young’s Houston office, where he spent 16 years, specializing in healthcare. Mr. Zimmerli served on the board of R1 RCM, a publicly traded company, for approximately 5 years and currently serves on the boards of several privately held companies. He also has served, and in some cases continues to serve, in various capacities for several private equity funds and/or their portfolio companies. He is a Certified Public Accountant and received the Elijah Watts Sells Award for achieving the second highest score in the United States when he passed the CPA Exam.
Mr. Zimmerli is a member of the executive leadership team and one of four owners of Goldstream, a private company which owns, develops, and operates retirement living centers predominantly located in the Intermountain West.
Monetization Expert
Dan Dearen
Mr. Dearen was most recently the President and Chief Financial Officer of Axonics Modulation Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: AXNX), a publicly traded medical technology company that manufactures and markets implantable devices to treat overactive bladder and stress urinary incontinence, with sales in 2020 of over $111 million. Mr. Dearen is co-founder of Axonics and has served in his current role for over seven years, during which time the company developed, obtained FDA approval and launched its sacral neuromodulation system to treat OAB, acquired Bulkamid to treat SUI, and raised $138 million in its 2018 IPO plus $267 million through two subsequent equity offerings.
Before co-founding Axonics, Mr. Dearen was Chief Operating and Financial Officer of Vessix Vascular, a medical device company treating hypertension that was acquired by Boston Scientific in 2012 for $425 million. Previously, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Miraval Holding, Q3DM (acquired by Beckman Coulter), Medication Delivery Devices (acquired by Baxter Healthcare) and was a Principal at Ventana Growth Funds, an international venture capital firm with a portfolio of 53 companies in medical devices, life sciences and healthcare. Mr. Dearen started his career as a CPA (inactive) in the healthcare group at Ernst & Young in Dallas, Texas. He holds a B.B.A. in Accounting & Business from Southern Methodist University and an M.B.A. from Boston College and completed the Accredited Public Company Director Certification program at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
Mr. Dearen has over 20 years of experience in medical devices and pharmaceutical industries. Previously Chief Operating and Financial Officer at Vessix Vascular, Mr. Dearen was responsible for integration following the acquisition of Vessix by Boston Scientific. Prior to that, Mr. Dearen was CFO of several life science and venture capital firms including Miraval Holding, Q3DM, Fairbanks Systems Group, ESI Software, Medication Delivery Devices, and positions with Ventana Growth Funds.